Authors: Hülya Uzunismail
Outbreaks of infection with SARS-CoV-2 e.g., COVID-19, have led to major global health crisis since December 2019 because of having infected more than 4.5 million people with 300 thousand death around the world in 5.5 months. SARS-CoV-2 is a highly pathogenic virus and may cause severe lung diseases such as acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) especially in a risk group. Kawasaki disease, which has increased in children in recent months, seems to be among the severe diseases that this virus is responsible for. Development of these critical clinical conditions have been suggested to be related cytokin storm due to pathogenic/ dysregulated host immune response by immune and nonimmune cells. Among these cells, mast cells may play an important role because they are activated and synthesize many cytokines and chemokines not only when they recognize viral products, but also some of the secreted cytokines either by other cells such as T cells, damaged epithelial and endothelial cells or by themselves. Moreover, with the activation, mast cells degranulate preformed mediators and synthesize other mediators such as leukotrienes, prostoglandins and growth factors. Mast cells regulate functions of immune cells and provide recruitment of them to the inflammed tissue by the effect of many
of these mediators. Medications, targeting mast cells such as mast cell stabilizers may decrease overproduction of these mediators including cytokines and chemokines and also progresion of inflammation. Leukotriene receptor antogonist may also provide additional benefits for controlling this inflammation. Investigating the effects of them either only a mast cell stabilizer or with a leukotriene receptor antagonist may bring new possibilities in preventing the development of critical conditions, related to COVID-19.